Four Roses Small Batch

I know it’s been ages since our last review. Sometimes life can get the better of you and your free time. But we are happy to finally be back at it here at the Charred Barrel Society. And we’re glad that you’ve stuck around.

Since it’s been a while, let me just remind everyone that all of our tastings are done blind. Nobody reviewing the whiskey knows what they are drinking. Everybody writes down their thoughts and gives it a score. We take those scores and average them for the official Charred Barrel Society finger pour rating.

Now let’s talk about Four Roses Small Batch bourbon. I remember a few years back trying Four Roses Small Batch for the first time. I had only recently discovered my love for bourbon and decided it would be fun to start trying various offerings. I quite enjoyed it at the time. So let’s hear what the society had to say about this whiskey.

The Nose:

Four Roses has a very pleasant and soft aroma to it. The typical caramel and vanilla notes can be found here, but also a subtle fruity quality. This made for a wonderful start.

The Pallet:

The initial taste is incredibly smooth. There is no “bite” to Four Roses Small Batch. Depending on the characteristics you look for in a bourbon, this could be either positive or negative. Cherry, sugar cane, and floral notes present themselves.

The Finish:

This is where Four Roses falls short for many members of the society. It was simply uninteresting and short lived. One of the most important qualities in a whiskey is the ability to take your time with it. You want the flavor to linger and evolve over time after tasting it.

The Rating:

The Charred Barrel Society gives Four Roses Small Batch a finger pour rating of 1.8. We don’t consider this a terrible score by any means. What we found interesting was just how consistent the scores were across the review cards. Most people gave it a solid 2. There were a few who enjoyed it more, and a handful that were less impressed. In a word, I find this is a very “safe” bourbon.

At the time of purchase, this bourbon sold for $36. Based off of that price point, we consider Four Roses Small Batch a medium to low value. If you’ve never had this bourbon before, it’s absolutely worth checking out. With all of this, remember this is a Small Batch whiskey. The heart of the flavor is there, but there will always be variation from batch to batch. You may find that you enjoy one bottle over another.